Double overhead door



Dec. 9, 1930. c. e. JOHNSON DOUBLE OVERHEAD DOOR Filed Feb. 14, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 9, 1930.

c G. JOHNSON 7 1,784,292

DOUBLE OVERHEAD DOOR I Filed Feb. 14, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuentoz Dec. 9,-1930. c. ca. JOHNSON DOUBLE OVERHEAD DOOR Filed Feb. 14, .1927 3 Sheets-Sheet Zlwuentoz C /are ce Gjzjo W1 Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLARENCE G. JOHNSON, OF HARTFORD CITY, INDIANA 7 DOUBLE OVERHEAD DOOR Application and February 14, 1927, Serial 1%. 187,978.

necessary to have a fixed post in the center'ofthe doorway for-accommodating the inner edges ofthe twovdoors. This post obstructs the doorway to some extent, as a result of which vehicles must enter the construction, if

it is a garage, at one side or the other of the a post.

Double garages, for which the invention is particularly adapted, are usually of sufiicient width to accommodate three cars placed side by side. These structures are generally of limited depth, and the vehicles cannot be moved about therein butv only in a straight line in entering or leaving the structure.

- Consequently, whenever space remains in .ad-

dition to the combined width of two cars, it is wasted. A-third car cannot be lodged in the intervening space owing to the obstruction by the central post and to the fact that the cars can be moved only in straight lines in or out of the garage as indicated above.

The object of this invention .is to provide accessibility to this normally wasted space,

and in the accomplishment of this object the central rail is positioned in such a manner that it may be moved clear out of the doorway; More specifically, the central rail is hingedly suspended from the overhead structure, but at the same time is constructed to accommodate the roller devices provided at the inner edges of the doors. After the doors have been lifted out of horizontal position,

the central rail ismerely swung back on its hinge and held in its raised or horizontal position by a suitable attaching device. The entire double doorway is now clear, so that a car may be driven through any part thereof,

with the result that three cars may be accommodated in the garage, if there is sufficient width, instead of two cars as formerly, in the case where the center of the doorway is obstructed by a fixed post.

It will be apparent that the principle of the invention may be extended to comprise more than two mutually adjacent doors .with a hinged intermediate rail between .every two contiguous members.

The invention is fully disclosed in the followlng description, and in the accompanying drawings, in which a Figure 1 is a front elevation of the door constructed according to the invention;

Fig. '2 is a transverse section through a ,housing equipped with a door of this invention showing particularly the central rail Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the corners of the door;

' to designate corresponding parts throughout. The doorway provided in the structure '1 7 is of suflicient width to accommodate two garage doors placed end to end as indicated in Figure 1. In other words, this double door is provided in a garage of such size as to accommodate at least two cars side by side.

The numeral 2 in Figure 4 indicates one. of the vertical door frame members provided at each 'end of the doorway. The member which divides the doorway into two single door spaces is a verticalT-member as indicated by the numeral 3 in Figure 5. This member may, however, be constituted by a pair of angle irons placed in contact with each other in such amanner as to form a T-structure.

To each of the uprights 2 at the outer side thereof, is secured a plurality of track brackets 4: in which is accommodated a vertical roller track 5 preferably of the type disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 151,- 844:, filed December 1, 1926. For the purpose of the present invention, however, this track and the supporting device therefor may be of any suitable or desirable construction. The bases 6 of the brackets 5 are referably slotted as at 7 for the reception of te attaching bolts 0 8 whereby the brackets and the track may be adjusted with reference to the edge of the adjacent door.

The doors positioned between the intermediate upright 3 and the end members 2 each consist of a series of panels 9 separated on horizontal lines 10. At the corners the panels are provided. with hinges consisting of a leaf 11 on one panel and a co-operating leaf 12 on the other vpanel. The preferred construc-' tion of the hinge is shown in Figure 6, where-' at the inner vertical edges of the panels. Ball bearings 16' are preferably interposed be' 5 tween the roller 16 and its spindle 15 as also shown in Figure.5. The panels 9 may be further hinged at points intermediate the edges by simple hinges 19.

The tracks 5 are continued upwardly and e rearwardly of the structure 1 in order to pro-.

vide an overhead support on which the doors may be rolled in a manner similar to that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,508,886 of September 16, 1924. -A similar member 20 is provided in continuation of the intermediate tracks 18 as clearly shown in Figure 2. The forward part of the section 20 is curved as at 21 to facilitate transfer of j the rollers from the vertical to the horizontal posltlon, and this part 21 serves as the support for the intermediate rails which are jzgmed thereto as a unit by means of a hinge To the rear Wall 23 of the structure 1 is 25 at its free end. At the forward part 1e of the' structure and above the doorway is mounted a similar pulley 26. A chain 27 is attached to the lower corner of the door directly the rebeneath, passed over the pulleys 26 a-nd 25, and finally anchored as at 28 to a fixed part of the structure. An arrangement ofthis kind is provided for each end of each door. The spring 24 i's,of such strength as to accurately counterbalance the weight of the door so that when a slight upward pull is applied to the latter, it will readily rise on its tracks. The lower corners of each door are equipped with small pulleys 29 over the loweredge of the door and having its ends fixed as at 31 to an immovable part of the construction and within easy reach.

Thus,-when the door is to belowered from its secured a retractile spring 24 carrying a pul- I which is passed a cord 30 extending along open position, the cord 30 is pulled down until the lower part of the door itself may be reached by the operator.

Near the rear or inner end of the central horizontal member 20 is provided a depending hook 32 hinged to this member as at 33 and hanging therefrom as shown in Figure 2. Adjacent the hook 32 is provideda simi- 32 is adjusted beneath the free edge thereof.-

In order to release the rail from the hook, it is only necessary to pull down on the cord 35.

The lower corners of the doors are provided each with a bracket 36 on which is journaled a roller 37 adapted to ride on the adjacent track, thereby eliminating sliding contact between the door and adjacent parts at these points.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various alterations in the details of construction may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

What'I claim is:

1. A door construction comprising in" a doorway, a pair of slidable doors mounted therein, a central rail positioned between said doors, an overhead track extending upwardly and rearwardly from said rail and commumeating therewith, said rail having its upper end hinged to the forward end of said over head track, and rollers carried by said doors and receivable in said central rail and overhead track.

. 2. A door construction comprising in a doorway, a pair of slidable doors mounted therein, a central rail positioned between said doors, an overhead track extending upwardly and rearwardly from said rail and communicatin its upper end li said overhead track, rollers carried by said therewith, said rail having inged' to the forward end of doors and receivable in said central rail, and

a hook provided rearwardly of said doorway and adapted to receive the free end of said rail when swung to upward position on its hinge.

3. Ina door construction, a doorway, a pair of slidable doors mounted therein, each door comprising a series of panels separated on horizontal lines, hinges connecting said panels and comprising hinge leaves and hinge pins, rollers carried by said pins,'a

central rail positioned between said doors, said rail being hingedly connected to a fixed part of the doorway, the rollers at the inner edges of said doors being received in said rai 4.- In a door construction, a doorway, a

pair of slidable doors mounted therein, each door comprising a series of panels separated onhorizontal lines, hinges connecting said panels and comprising hinge leaves and hinge pins, rollers carried by said pins, a central rail positioned between said doors, said rail having its upper end hingedly connected to a fixed part of the doorway, and the rollers. atthe inner edges of said doors being receivecl in said central rail.

5. In a door construction, a doorway, a pair of slidable doors mounted therein, each door comprisinga series of panels separated on horizontal lines, hinges connecting said panels and comprising hinge leaves and hinge pins, rollers carried by said pins, a central rail positioned between said doors, an overhead track extending upwardly and rearwardly from said rail and communieating therewith, said rail having its upper end hingedly connected to the forward end of said overhead track, the rollers at the inner edges of said doors being received in said central rail.

6. In a door construction, a doorway, a pair of slidable doors'mounted therein, each door comprising a series of panels separated on horizontal lines, hinges connecting said panels and comprising hinge leaves and hinge pins, rollers carried by said pins, a central rail positioned between said doors, an overhead trackextending upwardly and rea'rwardly from said rail and communieating therewith, said rail having its upper I end hinged to the forward end of said overhead track, the rollers at the inner edges of said doors being received in said central rail, and a hook suspended from the rear part of said overhead track and adapted to receive '40 the free end of said rail when swung upwardly on its hinge.

7. An element of a door construction comprising a horizontal double track having one end bent downwardly, a double rail hinged to and depending from said bent end and communicating therewith, said track and rail each being adapted to receive two sets of rollers.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CLARENCE G. JOHNSON. 

